


dinosaur_akmu.mp3

by snotboy



Category: VIXX
Genre: Alternate Universe - Jurassic World Fusion, Angst, Animal Death, Bad Science, Blood, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Enemies to Lovers, Fluff and Angst, Getting Back Together, Guns, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Near Death Experiences, Panic Attacks, Pre-Jurassic World, Protective, really bad science, spinosaurus - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-17
Updated: 2019-01-17
Packaged: 2019-10-11 13:31:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17447915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snotboy/pseuds/snotboy
Summary: Taekwoon worked with hundreds of carnivores over the years. He knew their behavior. This wasn't the same thing. This animal just... wasn't right.So when it got loose suddenly all of his friends and every other animal on the island was in danger. And the only person who could help was the last person he wanted to talk to.Han Sanghyuk.Fuck that guy.





	dinosaur_akmu.mp3

**Author's Note:**

> So you don't necessarily have to have seen any of the Jurassic Park movies or even Jurassic World to read this, but it might be helpful? Specifically Jurassic World. This takes place about six months before that movie. I think you would be fine without seeing any of them though!
> 
> Also, a note for anyone who hasn't seen Jurassic Park 2 or 3, Isla Sorna is the island a couple miles out where they create and sort of manufacture the majority of the dinosaurs especially the more experimental kinds.

“So,” Taekwoon took a long, drawn out sip of his coffee. It burned his mouth and he had to fight not to react. “How’s the last month been?” He could feel the venom in his own voice. Sanghyuk flinched and stayed silent. Taekwoon pushed away the little pit of guilt in his stomach and stared out the window of his truck. 

The sun hadn’t risen yet, but it was getting close. Far off in the distance he could see the very beginnings of sunrise, taking the sky from black to indigo to blue… he loved this time of day. It was still a little dark, but more than anything it was peaceful. He loved the gentle type of quiet he got in the mornings. He loved the feeling of getting out of bed, making his coffee, and settling in on the balcony so he could see the sun rise. His cat, Leo, would usually come with him. Sanghyuk would come out a little while later, still wrapped in their comforter, and lay his head in Taekwoon’s lap.. His hair would be everywhere, his eyes would be puffy, there was usually a bit of drool on his chin, but when Sanghyuk smiled it was always beautiful. 

Taekwoon grimaced.

He tried to crank up the heat a little higher and his truck groaned. Wordlessly, Sanghyuk pulled off his jacket and handed it over. Taekwoon felt a little flutter in his chest. He had to fight the urge to punch Sanghyuk in the arm. He settled under the jacket like it was a blanket anyways. It was because it was cold, not because it was Sanghyuk’s. Once they were both settled there was silence again. Taekwoon glanced at the time and groaned internally. It was bad enough that he had to work with Sanghyuk in the first place but it was worse that they would be stuck together for so long. 

The Asset Containment Unit was huge. They had hundreds of people. It shouldn’t have been so difficult to come up with literally anyone else to work with Taekwoon. It didn’t matter that Sanghyuk had experience with all of Taekwoon’s carnivores. It didn’t matter that he knew them all by name. It didn’t matter that Sanghyuk was actually sympathetic to the animals. It definitely didn’t matter that there was a huge containment breach in the Aviary and half of the ACU was either there or stuck in medical. It was bullshit.

“So,” Sanghyuk cleared his throat, “Your spinosaurus is ready.” Taekwoon blinked twice. He had no idea what to say to that. “You worked on her for a while, huh?” Taekwoon took a long, measured breath.

“Yeah, I guess. Six months. It went pretty quick actually.” Taekwoon mumbled. He wanted to smash his face into the truck window. 

“Yeah, six months is pretty fast,” Sanghyuk said slowly, carefully, “Doesn’t it normally take longer than that? Years even?” Taekwoon forced himself to take another calculated breath, but all he could trust himself to do was nod. “Rexy took two whole years and she’s not even as big as this one.”

“This wasn’t my idea and you know it.” Taekwoon snapped. Sanghyuk flinched which made him deflate a little, “It wasn’t… I didn’t have a lot of say in the matter.”

“Clearly.” Sanghyuk grumbled, “You know better than to botch jobs like this.” Taekwoon sighed and took another sip of his coffee. He had no idea what to say, or where to even begin. There was enough early light that he could see a handful of ships scattered across the waterway. If he looked hard enough and let his eyes trick him just a bit he thought he could see all the way to Isla Sorna. One of the ships was headed straight towards their docks. Probably the transport ship, he thought dimly.

“I guess…” Taekwoon started, “She’s alive now. She’s here. The least I owe her is to give her a nice, comfortable life.” Out of the corner of his eye he saw Sanghyuk’s head drop.

“You’re right. You’re definitely right. I just… I wish they hadn’t put you through that. Or her. It pisses me off that they wouldn’t just let you work.” There it was again. A little flutter in Taekwoon’s chest. He clenched his fists and stared pointedly out the window. He didn’t want to think about late nights of Sanghyuk bringing him dinner and going all the way out to Isla Sorna just to sit with him in the office. He didn’t want to think about taking a surprise day off and dragging Sanghyuk down to the beach for a date. Or the time that he worked overnight and came home in the morning to Sanghyuk and his cat asleep on the couch together. Taekwoon gritted his teeth and fought off the urge to pull his hair out. 

“Hey… isn’t that transport coming in kinda fast?” Sanghyuk asked as he leaned over the dashboard. Taekwoon saw it too. The transport from earlier wasn’t slowing down, even as it edged closer towards the docks. They shared a glance and Sanghyuk turned on his radio while Taekwoon killed the engine.

“-ansport 2461 slow your engines and prepare for docking. I repeat: Transport 2461 slow your engines and prepare for docking.” One of the dock workers called over the radio. The signal went silent and Taekwoon chanced a look towards the water. The transport still wasn’t slowing down. At the rate it was going the transport was going to crash directly into the docks. Sanghyuk seemed to have the same idea because at that moment he clutched onto his own radio,

“Transport 2461 we need verbal confirmation now.” He called into the radio and Taekwoon froze. Together they waited in silence for an answer but as the seconds ticked by nothing came. Someone else called over the radio for a verbal confirmation but still nothing came through. Taekwoon’s hands shook. Sanghyuk’s eyes were flitting back from the ship, to the docks, then to the rest of the park. He was calculating while Taekwoon tried to tamp down the low roaring in his ears. Suddenly Sanghyuk laid a hand on Taekwoon’s and met his eyes. “I’ll be right back, okay? Stay here.” And then Sanghyuk was gone.

Taekwoon watched as he jogged towards the docks until he became another shapeless figure in the still dark distance. He wiped his hand off against his pants and cringed. Sanghyuk’s hands were still unfairly warm and soft and comforting. Fuck that. Taekwoon hit the steering wheel and his truck groaned back loudly in response. He grumbled and pulled his legs up to his chest so they were sandwiched between him and the steering wheel. Sanghyuk’s jacket was still draped over him. It even smelled warm and welcoming and nice just like him. The thought made Taekwoon’s eyebrow twitch. 

There was yelling coming from the docks and when Taekwoon looked up from his lap he gasped. The transport wasn’t stopping. It was huge- so huge it blocked out whatever vague hints of dawn there were on the horizon. It lumbered straight towards the docks and Taekwoon felt his heart stop in his chest. The transport made contact with the docks and blew straight through them. Splintered wood flew up everywhere around it, flying in all directions as the transport just kept getting farther and farther until eventually it destroyed the entire dock and all of the small rafts and boats that had been lined up on either side of it. Taekwoon couldn’t tear his eyes away as the transport crept closer and closer, the sand only barely stopped it’s momentum and even then it only stopped when it was about ten feet away from where Taekwoon sat. 

There was a moment of silence- even the dock workers went quiet. Then the transport let out a low and terrifying groan. The metal hull sounded like it was pulling itself apart. For a second the ship held fast, for a second it seemed like that was the end of it. Until it shifted. Inch by inch the ship started to lean to the side. It felt like Taekwoon was watching in slow motion. All he could do was watch in horror as the ship tilted over slowly and then all at once. It crushed the entire dock house when it landed. Splintered wood flew up in all directions, some even hitting dock workers who were too close. The ship’s metal groaned even more as it settled into the sand and the sound was overbearing. One second the little wooden building was there, the next it was gone. Then the first body fell. Taekwoon had to cover his mouth with his hands to contain a scream. 

One, then two, then three mangled, bloody bodies tipped over out of the ship. One of them rolled straight out into the sand where Taekwoon could see the massive claw marks going through the back of the body. All at once the dock workers swarmed on the scene. There was a flurry of movement and yelling and panic. Some of the workers were trying to pull any survivors out of the wreckage, some were bleeding and frantically trying to get help, others were even just staring in shock at the scene. With a start Taekwoon unfurled himself out of his truck and ran forward. Part of him knew what had happened, but he had to make sure. He just had to know for certain.

Taekwoon fought his way through the crowd, pushing his way through the workers and towards the ship. He scrambled his way up the deck of the ship- he had to actually climb it because of the angle. He tried desperately to tamp down on the feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach. Taekwoon knew what happened, even if he hadn’t really seen for himself yet. He made his way to the top, where the opening to the hatch would be and was overwhelmed with dread. The hatch for the containment unit was covered in huge scratches, like something had clawed it’s way out from the inside. His spinosaurus was nowhere in sight, but the containment unit wasn’t empty. Not entirely. Another body lay at the bottom. One more worker, torn to shreds.

He didn’t realize he was crying until he slid back down into the sand and felt a hand against his shoulder. Sanghyuk. Wordlessly he pulled Taekwoon in against his chest and held them both there. Taekwoon tried desperately to calm himself down, to put himself back together. He was the highest rank there, by far. Those were his employees. He was in charge. He had to do something. So he cleared his throat. Sanghyuk seemed to understand because he pulled away and set about loosely gathering the panicked workers and getting their attention at least. 

“Okay,” Taekwoon started once he at least had some of their attention, “I need you all to stay calm. The Rescue Unit will be here soon. For now you need to get as many people as possible to medical. If you can, help each other get there. Otherwise, help is coming soon.” Taekwoon swallowed. He could practically feel his bravado fading, “Please do not try to contact anyone outside of here. Even other park employees. Outside of the Rescue Team and those that are already here. Not until you’re given the go ahead.” Taekwoon nodded. For a second he panicked, he had no idea what else to say. The workers didn’t seem to care though because they dispersed almost as soon as he went quiet. Distantly he heard Sanghyuk calling for medical and ACU over the walkies. 

Taekwoon realized the blood from the bodies was slowly pooling in the sand. He fought off the urge to gag and stared out into the horizon. His spinosaurus had to have gone in the water, there wasn’t any other direction she could have gone. He froze. The ocean was big. So big that if she decided to swim off on her own they wouldn’t find her until she crawled up onto a beach somewhere. Logically Taekwoon knew it didn’t make sense. She wasn’t a deep sea animal. Spinosaurus in general didn’t even live in the ocean, and she only ever had access a small river while they raised her. There was no way she would swim out to see. He knew that eventually she would have to turn up on land, then he could make sure she was safe.

“Hey,” Sanghyuk placed a hand on his shoulder, “We gotta go, okay?” His voice was soft as he reached down to clasp Taekwoons hand. “Someone already spotted her. She’s up by the Gyrosphere Valley.” Taekwoon yanked his hand away and nodded. He pretended not to see the flash of hurt in Sanghyuks eyes as they turned back towards the truck. 

“Have you gotten a hold of Wonshik? It’s his turn in the Valley this morning.” Taekwoon asked as soon as the door to the truck was shut behind him.

“He’s the one that called it in, but I can’t get a hold of him now.” They took off with a jolt and Sanghyuk yelped, “Taekwoon! Jesus, slow down!” That just made Taekwoon accelerate even more. 

“You do not get to tell me to slow down Han Sanghyuk! My dinosaur is alone, and in a new environment, and probably even hurt. We need to find her. Now.” The truck flew over another bump in the road and Sanghyuk went silent. Distantly Taekwoon felt a little seed of guilt in the bottom of his stomach. None of it was Sanghyuk’s fault but that didn’t change the fact that he was an easy target for Taekwoon’s anger. Thought it was less anger and more fear. Taekwoon was terrified. His dinosaur could be hurt. And she was showing aggressive behaviors. Incredibly aggressive behaviors. Spinosaurus wasn’t a particularly violent species, but she was a carnivore. She would follow her nature, just like any other animal. Even then, none of his other carnivores clawed their way out of a transport ship. 

In the back of his mind Taekwoon remembered a time when she was still a baby, only a couple months old. She bit off one of the researcher’s fingers. Not entirely- it wasn’t quite a complete break. At the time Taekwoon was furious, that researcher had been accused of abusing his animals, but Taekwoon didn’t have proof until that happened. She had no reason to attack him so the only conclusion he could come too was that the researcher goaded her on. Looking back though… Taekwoon shivered. He was broken out of his thoughts when Sanghyuk casually reached over and rested his hand on the back of Taekwoon’s seat. Taekwoon tried not to scream. 

The Gyrosphere Valley was close enough that by the time they made it to the entrance the sun was still only partway over the horizon. As soon as they saw the entrance Taekwoon didn’t lift his foot off the gas for even a second. The gates slammed open violently and Sanghyuk jumped in his seat.  
“Taekwoon, we don’t even know where we’re going or where to start,” Sanghyuk said nervously, like Taekwoon was a scared animal in a cage. The truck and everything in it bounced violently with every bump in the valley.

“We don’t have time,” Taekwoon shook his head rapidly, “Keep trying Wonshik but… we don’t have time to wait around. And plus... she’s not exactly easy to miss.” Sanghyuk pulled out his walkie obediently and Taekwoon had to remind himself to loosen his grip on the steering wheel. He rolled his shoulders back, stretched his neck a bit, and took a set of long and even breaths. 

“It looks like most of Wonshik’s herbivores are asleep still…” Sanghyuk muttered as he stared intently out the window. A couple of big lumps lay beside them, most likely a pod of apatosaurus or a group of triceratops laying still. Taekwoon couldn’t quite make out which in the dark.

“Is that a good thing?” Taekwoon bit at the inside of his lips.

“Maybe… it could mean that she hasn’t been through here. Something doesn’t seem right though, she should have come this way, right?” Sanghyuk cursed, “It doesn’t matter, Wonshik isn’t answering anyways.”

“We’ll find her.” Taekwoon mumbled, “Surely, we’ll find her.” Sanghyuk cautiously extended his hand towards Taekwoon’s shoulder and attempted to brush Taekwoon’s arm in a soothing motion. Taekwoon froze. Sanghyuk’s hand was warm through Taekwoon’s shirt. It set off a little giddy spark in Taekwoon’s chest. His first thought was to reach out and just shove Sanghyuk out of the truck but… tentatively he let himself relax into the touch. They stayed quiet for a moment while Taekwoon let his unease fade ever so slightly. He missed this. He missed the way Sanghyuk touched him. It was always so firm and steady, like he was grounding Taekwoon and keeping him tethered in place. 

“Wait, wait! Taekwoon, look!” Sanghyuk pointed out the window frantically. There, just off the path and buried in a set of trees, was a gyrosphere. 

The gyrosphere was smashed in from all angles. Glass littered the ground around it and there was even some up above in the trees. The seat inside was ripped to shreds, the only thing left intact was a bent metal frame. Taekwoon’s stomach swooped in fear and he slammed down on the breaks so hard he could hear some of his equipment crash in the truck bed. Taekwoon could make out something, a body, laying haphazardly against a tree. Wonshik. Taekwoon’s heart stopped beating for a second while Sanghyuk bolted out of the truck. Taekwoon felt like his heart was choking him, like his entire body was frantically pulsing along to the beat and he was just helplessly being dragged along as he pushed himself out of the truck and stumbled forward. When he finally reached Sanghyuk he couldn’t help it. He threw up. He could barely hold himself up against one of the trees next to him while his stomach emptied itself onto the ground.

It was still just as bad when he turned around. Wonshik was there, laying on his back and covered with dirt and glass. His body was mangled almost beyond recognition and for a second- one heart wrenching second- Taekwoon thought he was dead. His chest was moving though, ever so slightly. Wonshik’s leg wasn’t going the right direction. Barely, just barely, Taewoon thought he could see a bit of bone peeking out of his arm. The glass had cut into his skin and mixed with the dirt to make a sickening thick mud in a pool around his body. The worst was Wonshik’s eyes. One of his eyes… Taekwoon gagged again and would have thrown up again if he could. He couldn’t look. 

“Taekwoon?” Sanghyuk leveled him with an authoritative look as he bundled Wonshik up into his arms. Taekwoon flinched at the sharp cracking noise that came from Wonshik’s arm. “I need you to open the passenger door. We’re going to put Wonshik there and I’m going to ride in the back, okay?” 

“Okay. Okay. Yeah.” Taekwoon felt like he was in a daze. He jogged back towards the truck and tried to ignore the crunch of glass under each step. He opened the passenger door but he couldn’t look as Sanghyuk tucked Wonshik’s body into the seat. He couldn’t even look back at the destroyed gyrosphere, so he looked up. The sky had turned baby blue and was crystal clear in all directions. Something about that made Taekwoon angry. 

“Alright, we have to get to the infirmary, okay?” Taekwoon glanced back down to stare into Sanghyuk’s eyes. “Do you want me to drive?” He asked gently as he cupped Taekwoon’s cheek in his palm. His eyes held genuine concern and something softer, more gentle in them. Taekwoon felt like he might vibrate apart at that look.

“No- ah, no.” Taekwoon took a long breath to steel himself. “I gotta… just- I’ll do it.” Sanghyuk nodded and then gently, so gently, brushed his thumb across Taekwoon’s cheek, wiping away some of the tears Taekwoon didn’t realize had formed. He jolted away from Sanghyuk’s hand and immediately regretted it. The sudden loss of warmth stung. Sanghyuk nodded almost to himself and jogged back around to the bed of the truck while Taekwoon settled himself in the driver’s seat. He took one last long breath. “Hold on back there!” He yelled as he shifted into gear and floored it.

The fastest way to medical was to just keep going down through the Valley. Taekwoon tried to be gentle and go around any of the larger bumps, but he wouldn’t slow down. They had already wasted too much time. Stupid Sanghyuk and his stupid hands and his stupid eyes. His stupid concern. Fuck that. Taekwoon tamped down on whatever feeling Sanghyuk was giving him when he saw his friend out of the corner of his eye. Wonshik was hurt. Wonshik was hurt and Taekwoon was letting Sanghyuk’s harassment get to him. Stupid Sanghyuk. At the very least Wonshik was still breathing. Though Taekwoon wasn’t sure how much longer that would last. Just the thought had Taekwoon accelerating harder. One more hill. Medical was just one more hill over. They would make it.

Taekwoon gasped. As soon as he started up the hill his headlights passed over one of the triceratops sleeping in the Valley. Except she wasn’t sleeping. There were huge claw marks down her side, so deep that Taekwoon thought he could see in towards where her ribcage rested. His foot faltered for a second and they rolled back a bit before Taekwoon came back to his senses. He couldn’t afford to stop, but as he drove past her body he saw the way her neck was bent. It looked like it was snapped it in half. 

It was worse once he got to the top of the hill. One of the Brachiosaurus was laying over the top of the hill on her side. Taekwoon’s truck lost traction in one of the rivulets of blood trailing down and away from her body. He could feel bile rising up in the back of his throat as he fought back nausea. When he looked down at the rest of the Valley he sobbed. He could barely see through his tears but he had to keep going. The bodies were all around him. An entire pod of Apatosaurus was piled up on top of each other, like they had tried to band together for protection. Taekwoon remembered when some of them had been born. Wonshik and Hongbin always called the rest of them whenever some of their babies hatched. Two months ago one of the baby Apatosaurus nipped Sanghyuk’s nose hard enough to draw blood and Taekwoon had laughed so hard he cried. Now though one of the adult’s eyes were still open when Taekwoon drove past.

Once he noticed he couldn’t stop seeing them. The bodies were spread out in every direction. There was no clear path and the sheer amount… Taekwoon didn’t think there were any survivors. The Stegosaurus were scattered away from their pods but even then. Desperately Taekwoon searched for movement, any movement, in the trees or the grasses or even from one of the bodies but he couldn’t find any. Whatever had come through the Valley had been aggressive. Taekwoon’s Spinosaurus was aggressive. She wasn’t looking for food. Maybe she was looking for territory. Maybe she just... Whatever the reason she had butchered each and every one of the herbivores until there weren’t any left. From the looks of it she hunted them all down just to snap their necks. Where she learned that Taekwoon had no idea. 

Even as Taekwoon was leaving the Valley the trail of animals didn’t stop. They had tried to run. But that didn’t stop her. She had tracked and hunted down every single one of them. She must have jumped ship, come to the Valley, and spent at least an hour picking off each and every animal there. The trail of bodies faded away just as medical came into view. Taekwoon let out a breath he didn’t even know he was holding. Thank god she hadn’t gotten there.

Medical was in total chaos when they drove up. Paramedics ran back and forth with different patients and the entire mess looked like hundreds of bees swarming in and out of the hive. Taekwoon parked haphazardly and Sanghyuk was at the passenger door in seconds. Sanghyuk hoisted Wonshik into his arms and took off into the medical building and Taekwoon made to follow but he hesitated. His hands shook as he let go of the door handle and instead pulled his legs up against his chest. He needed the time. He needed something at least.

He rubbed at his eyes with the heels of his palms and tried to calm the tears that were still welling up in his eyes. It didn’t work. Everytime he shut his eyes he saw them again. The look in the eye of that Apatosaurus was so… blank. And accusatory. Taekwoon only had to deal with the death of one of his animals before. Of course not all of them survived infancy, Taekwoon had learned to handle that over time even if it still hurt him. But once, and only ever once, there was a mistake. One of his Baryonyx got out of her enclosure. She was down the river, eating a fish, not even paying attention to the ACU officers as they closed in. Taekwoon was sitting in his truck, just a few meters back and on the phone with Hakyeon when it happened. She looked up at one of the officers, that’s all she did. So he shot her. Five times. In her flank. She was on the ground by the second shot. Taekwoon didn’t get to her until the officer was ready for shot number six. He held her head in his arms while she died. She would have survived the exterior wounds but the sheer amount of tranquilizer that man pumped into her body stopped her heart. Taekwoon still hadn’t really gotten over it. Even just the thought of losing another one of his animals broke his heart. Then it hit him.

 

Wonshik.

 

Hongbin.

 

Hongbin probably still had no idea. There was no way for him to know. He was probably losing his mind with worry- Taekwoon would be. As if on cue Taekwoon’s phone rang. He scrambled to fish it out of his pocket. His blood ran cold when he saw who was calling but he answered it anyways.

“Taekwoon? Taekwoon what the hell is going on! I’ve been trying to get a hold of someone all morning.” Hongbin said frantically. “Do you know where Wonshik is? He isn’t answering me.” 

“Hongbin…” Taekwoon swallowed hard. What was he even supposed to say? “So… I, um… w-we were transporting one one of my animals this morning,” 

“What? That’s fine just tell me where my husband is!” Hongbin’s voice was slowly getting louder.

“That’s- that’s the thing. Hongbin.” Taekwoon had to close his eyes. Briefly he wished he had waited and made Sanghyuk do this.

“What do you mean?”

“She- she’s aggressive. I don’t- I have no idea why. But she is. And she got out.” He heard Hongbin take a sharp breath but he had to keep going, “Wonshik- He was out. In the Valley. He called us out there but… I guess by the time we got out there she already saw him. It was bad, Hongbin. It was really bad. He’s alive, but…”

“But what, Taekwoon? What does that mean?” Hongbin had never sounded so panicked and so scared. Ever. In the entire time they had known each other Taekwoon never once saw Hongbin break down. 

“She went through the Valley. Hongbin… I’m so sorry.” Taekwoon had never felt so guilty in his life.

“Taekwoon…” Hongbin’s voice went cold. “Taekwoon you better not be- no. Fuck no.”

“I’m sorry. She tore through the Valley. It was… awful. I’m sorry. I don’t…. I don’t think anyone survived.” 

“What the fuck Taekwoon? What the actual fuck?” Hongbin spat.

“I’m-”

“I don’t care if you’re sorry. What the fuck did you do?” He hissed, “My husband is hurt. My animals are hurt. What the fuck did you do?” Taekwoon couldn’t even begin to think of something to say. Something to reassure his friend. To stop Hongbin from hating him. Anything. “You know what? I don’t care. I’m on my way to medical. You better fucking fix this.” 

The line went dead. Taekwoon’s hands shook and he wrapped his arms around himself, pulling his knees closer to his chest. He wanted to fucking die. He didn’t. Not really. But he didn’t see a way out of the situation. The Spinosaurus was Taekwoon’s responsibility. And she had just murdered at least a quarter of the herbivores in the park. His breath was coming hard and his body was starting to feel cold and hot all at once. There was a roaring in his ears that got louder and louder and louder with every breath he took and all he could do was close his eyes and hope to god it was going to pass. He couldn’t see a way out and he had no idea what to even do anymore. Oh god he fucked up so bad. 

“-woon? Hey, try and take a deep breath with me, okay?” Sanghyuk’s voice suddenly cut through the noise and made Taekwoon jump. “You’re okay Taekwoon… is it okay if I touch you?” Somehow Taekwoon was able to nod just a little bit. Sanghyuk reached over carefully and threaded his fingers into Taekwoon’s hair. He kept his touch light, giving Taekwoon the opportunity to pull away if he wanted, but instead he let himself relax into it just a little bit. They sat in silence for what felt like hours. Sanghyuk was patient, he kept his hand threaded through Taekwoon’s hair for as long as he needed and Taekwoon, for his part, let himself be pet. It wasn’t until he felt his breathing slow down that it occurred to him to be embarrassed. He shook Sanghyuk’s hand off of him and aggressively wiped away at his tears. 

“Taekwoon? Can you look at me?” No. For a second Taekwoon contemplated running out of the truck and hiding in the infirmary. “Taekwoon… have you been having panic attacks again? Or was it just the one?” He hated that. He hated that Sanghyuk’s voice could get so gentle and quiet and soft. It made him feel like he was going to explode. His hands shook. He would rather die than admit the panic attacks came back. Sanghyuk understood though. He always understood. That bastard. “Alright. That’s okay. We’ll be okay, yeah?” All Taekwoon could do was stare resolutely out the driver’s side window, even when he heard Sanghyuk curse quietly. Three years of dating and then suddenly being away from each other for a month… it was hard. Suddenly losing one of the biggest supports in his life was so hard. It left a hollow feeling in Taekwoon’s chest. He wanted to hit Sanghyuk for it.

“You’re stupid.” Taekwoon mumbled out. Sanghyuk chuckled and he felt heat rising in his cheeks. On reflex he reached out and slapped Sanghyuk’s arm which just earned him more laughter. “Shut up…” Sanghyuk matched Taekwoon’s glare with a smirk. They held each other’s gaze until eventually Taekwoon couldn’t handle it anymore and Sanghyuk sighed.

“Alright… I need to know everything about her. Anything about her you can think of, okay?” Taekwoon took a shuddering breath.

“Okay. Um… spinosaurus are rare. Really rare. Honestly we’re lucky. There’s only one complete spinosaurus fossil in the world. We didn’t even start with one.” It was surprisingly easy to slip into his other role. Dr. Jung, carnivore expert. It was comfortable, familiar. It was a role he knew how to fill. “They can hunt on land and in water. From what we can tell they live mostly on land and only go in more shallow water to hunt for fish. Or other Spinosaurus. They aren’t picky about food. Biggest carnivore we’ve found to date. Honestly… we don’t have a lot of information on them. The fossils are rare, and scattered through North Africa. It’s not easy to get them.” Taekwoon swallowed harshly.

“...what about her then? Her specifically?”

“I… I mean. I haven’t even had her for a year. And she’s the only one we’ve ever had. Besides, we didn’t have a lot to go off of. Genetically. All of our animals… we take some liberties. You know that. Mostly to make them bigger. Less feathers. More teeth. Adapting them for our climate here.” Taekwoon’s heart beat faster just thinking about it. “So I have no idea. I can’t… I don’t know.”

“Jesus…” Sanghyuk shuddered.

“Yeah. We have so much less information on Spinosaurus. Really… we don’t know anything. We had to fill in the gaps even more than usual. She’s a hybrid for all intents and purposes. We had no way of predicting what her behavior would be. I tried to tell them. I really tried to tell them. But when I told the director he just laughed. He said she would make an even better attraction then. Give the kids a scare, you know.”

Sanghyuk swore.

“It’s… with the accelerated growth rate… I don’t know. I had no idea she would be so aggressive. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised but… Sanghyuk she’s my baby. I raised her. And she didn’t ask for this. She doesn’t know. She’s just trying to live, just trying to do what she knows.” Sanghyuk went quiet and Taekwoon felt his hands start to shake violently. He hated the silence. All he could think was how much Sanghyuk must hate him. Hate him even more at least. Hongbin hated him. Wonshik hated him. Honestly Taekwoon hated himself.

“Fuck.” Sanghyuk spat. Taekwoon flinched. He wasn’t ready for it. He wasn’t ready for the anger even if he knew he deserved it. “God this is so fucked.” Sanghyuk ran a hand through his hair. He clenched his fists and Taekwoon gulped.

“Please don’t be mad…”

“Taek. I’m fucking furious.” He kept clenching and unclenching his fists. The sight made Taekwoon’s blood go cold. “Those assholes treated you like shit.” What? “They pushed you to do something awful.” Taekwoon wasn’t expecting that. “They put us in this situation. They’re the reason Wonshik is hurt. They’re the reason those animals are dead. They’re responsible for what happened at the docks.” Taekwoon had never seen his face so dark. The last time Sanghyuk was this angry was the night he walked out. He looked like he was just barely holding himself back- he was visibly shaking and had to clench his eyes shut. 

He punched the dashboard.

It happened out of nowhere. Taekwoon flinched away and Sanghyuk just sat there, breathing hard. 

“We’ve gotta get her back.” Sanghyuk mumbled.

“As soon as possible.” Taekwoon swallowed.

“Okay. Alright.” Sanghyuk took a few deep breaths. “Where do you think she would go?” Just then Taekwoon heard a breathtaking roar. A sense of dread washed over him.

“That came from the center of the park.” He whispered.

“Director Jung,” The sound of the walkie made them both jump. “I need you to Gentle Giants immediately.” Jaehwan. “Director Jung to Gentle Giants.”

“On our way,” Sanghyuk responded before Taekwoon’s mind even had a chance to catch up. A strange, uneasy silence fell over them while Taekwoon pushed the truck into gear and took off towards the center of the park. Taekwoon thought Sanghyuk must have been thinking the same thing that he was. Gentle Giants was in the center of the park. Right next to the hotels. They kept the hotels quarantined off in the morning until the park opened but… not much had stopped his Spinosaurus before. He felt a heavy weight against his chest, weighing him down into his body so he almost couldn’t breathe. 

Sanghyuk reached over and gently placed his hand over Taekwoon’s where he had a death grip on the clutch. His hand was warm and calloused and familiar and suddenly Taekwoon remembered he was still wearing Sanghyuk’s jacket from earlier. There was a soft little flutter in his chest. It briefly crossed his mind to slap Sanghyuk over the head. But then they came over the hill.

The sun was up for the most part by then, and for a second they were both blinded but then the park was laid out in front of them clear as day. There she was, right outside the Gentle Giants exhibit. Taekwoon didn’t even notice when he sped up down the hill. That’s where the babies were. All of the baby herbivores went through Gentle Giants. All of them went through Jaehwan with Hongbin and Wonshik around the outside. It helped them bond. It helped them relax and learn. It kept them safe. The closer they got the more overwhelmed Taekwoon felt. It was something like anxiety and fear and… anger.

He nearly flung himself out of the car once he parked, and it didn’t seem like she noticed them. The doors to the exhibit were sealed tight but she was near flinging herself against the door to get in. Taekwoon swore he could hear terrified shrieks coming from inside and underneath all of that Taekwoon almost thought he heard Jaehwan yelling frantically. He had to do something. He knew he had to do something. He loved those babies and he would be damned if another one of his friends got hurt. He panicked for just a moment, floundering in the face of the Spinosaurus- his Spinosaurus. He had no idea what to do or how to get the attention of such a giant animal. Distantly he was aware that Sanghyuk was behind him, that Sanghyuk was ACU, that Sanghyuk was far more qualified to handle the situation. He didn’t care though. Especially not when he saw it.

The emergency kit. On the side of the building. Taekwoon took off towards it, rifling through it until he found what he needed. An emergency flare. He had to get the Spinosaurus away from Jaehwan and away from the babies. 

He wasn’t thinking when he lit the first flare. He wasn’t thinking when he threw it at the Spinosaurus, and he definitely wasn’t thinking when he lit the second flare. She roared so loudly it felt like it shook the entire earth beneath his feet. So he took off. He heard Sanghyuk yell something behind him but he didn’t have time to listen.

Taekwoon had never run so fast in his entire life. It was like his body was taken over by something else. Like every part of his brain shut off except for the part that was propelling him forward. The flare felt like it was burning his hand but he couldn’t get himself to let it go- not when he knew that she was catching up to him. Blood was rushing in his ears. He couldn’t really see what was in front of him even because he was so focused on just getting away. He was too scared to look back, just the thought sent another surge of panic through his body. Taekwoon thought he could feel her breath against his back when he finally let go of the flare in his hands. Her footsteps thundered into the ground and eventually Taekwon couldn’t keep himself up anymore. For a split second he was sure he would die.

Then he heard gunshots. She stopped behind him even though he went tumbling forward. She roared again but it sounded different. He didn’t register the gunshots afterwards. He didn’t really register even that she was gone until he heard someone calling his name.

“-woon? Taekwoon! Holy shit, Taekwoon!” He sat frozen on the ground while Sanghyuk frantically ran hands all over him. “You could have died!” Sanghyuk yelled and checked Taekwoon over in a panic until finally he seemed assured that Taekwoon wasn’t about to tip over and die. He wiped at the wetness on Taekwoon’s cheeks and pressed a kiss to his forehead. “You’re a fucking idiot.” 

The sudden silence was surreal. The morning went quiet aside from Sanghyuk’s mumblings. Compared to even just a minute ago… the world seemed so soft, muted almost. It rattled Taekwoon to the core and he tried to adjust. He really thought he was going to die. His limbs felt like gelatine as he tried to get to his feet. He barely made it up when he whimpered quietly. The second Taekwoon tried to put weight on his ankle he cried out. He would have fallen over if it hadn’t been for Sanghyuk holding him up. 

“What’s wrong?” Sanghyuk sounded panicked and he was right back to checking every single part of Taekwoon’s body, “Did you hurt your ankle?”

“I’m fine, Sanghyuk, just help me get back to the paddock.” Taekwoon forced a smile that he knew Sanghyuk wasn’t buying but he didn’t really care. He was too focused on keeping weight off his ankle at all costs. After five steps Sanghyuk sighed. Taekwoon squeaked as he was hoisted into Sanghyuk’s arms. “Put me down!” He sputtered.

“Taek just let me get you back to the paddock, then we’ll take a look, okay?” Taekwoon quieted at that. Neither one of them mentioned it when Taekwoon snuggled his head up into Sanghyuk’s shoulder. The world was still soft and distant. He could feel every step that Sanghyuk took like it shook the entire earth. It shook his entire being even. His limbs seemed far away though. Sanghyuk seemed far away. It was almost like he was watching a movie from a distance- he knew where he was, he knew what was happening, but it felt like he wasn’t there. Taekwoon couldn’t feel a thing and he wasn’t sure he wanted too, but he got a rude awakening when they finally got back to the paddock.

“Holy shit!” Jaehwan screamed as he ran to meet them. “Oh my fucking god! Taekwoon you almost died! You literally almost died.” Sanghyuk placed Taekwoon back on his feet seconds before Jaehwan tackled him into a hug, “That was metal as fuck.”

“I was there too.” Sanghyuk deadpanned. 

“Okay but my Taekwoonie fought a spinosaurus for me!” Jaehwan screamed and squeezed his arms tighter around Taekwoon while Sanghyuk grimaced. “Oh don’t give me that! You lost the right to go all possessive boyfriend-y on me.”

“That- I wasn’t- I didn’t- He hurt his ankle!” He spluttered.

“Yeah. Sure. That’s why.” Jaehwan finally let Taekwoon go which had Sanghyuk lurching forward to steady him.

“Jaehwan… just… are you okay?” Sanghyuk sighed.

“Yep! I’m perky as ever. A couple of scrapes and bruises but those are mostly from the babies.” He shrugged a little before he rounded on Taekwoon. “You! On the other hand! You fought of a Spinosaurus for me- but you almost died you dickwad! You’re my best friend! Who gave you the right to do that! You can’t just almost die! I mean, don’t get me wrong-”

“Jaehwan,” Taekwoon started

“I’m flattered that you’re willing to put your life on the line for me like th-”

“Jaehwan!”

He smiled sheepishly.

“Are the babies okay?” Taekwoon asked quietly. Jaehwan’s eyes went wide with surprise before they settled into something softer.

“Yeah, Taekwoon. They’re okay. Pretty spooked, but none of them are hurt.” Taekwoon nodded and for the first time since he heard Jaehwan’s voice over the walkie he was able to breathe. He would be damned if one more person got hurt. The spinosaurus was his problem, and he was not going to let her put anyone else in danger.

“Wait, Taekwoon… I fired enough sedatives in her to keep Rexy out for a week, but that spinosaurus barely flinched. What was that?” Sanghyuk furrowed his brow.

“Oh! I know the answer!” Jaehwan threw his hand up into the air, which knocked Taekwoon off his balance and had Sanghyuk scrambling to steady him again. “Aquatic animals require a different type of sedative. Completely different actually. I mean, for one thing, we can’t have them drowning. If we pumped our mosasaurus with the same sedative we give, say…. Stiggy! My stygimoloch. Hakyeon’s mosasaurus would drown.” Jaehwan grinned, “Plus! The way their metabolisms process things are different. What would affect Stiggy wouldn’t necessarily affect the mosasaurus. From what I can tell it has something to do with their metabolism. Hakyeon could tell you more… Maybe it’s body mass? And I mean their organs are different… Even then they’re all from totally different time periods….” Jaehwan went on mumbling while Sanghyuk turned towards Taekwoon.

“He’s right, actually.” Taekwoon thought he would be sick, “But it’s even worse with the Spinosaurus. We- we had to make a new one- a new sedative. She’s big. She’s huge. Nothing- nothing else was powerful enough to knock her out. I had to change it even then… even after we got it strong enough. It was tailor made for it. I have no idea what the effects of any other sedative would be on it, or even if there would be an effect at all.” Taekwoon dropped his head into his hands, “Fuck. The sedative was on the ship. The only sedative we have for it was on that transport.” He could feel his chest constrict as the gravity of the situation washed over him. He hissed when he wobbled again on his feet.

“Taek, what’s wrong?” Jaehwan asked, his voice uncharacteristically soft. 

“I told you- his ankle is hurt.” Sanghyuk winced as he took hold of Taekwoon’s shoulders to steady him. 

“Can I take a look?” Taekwoon went to protest but withered under the look Jaehwan gave him. “Come on, let’s take a look.” Sanghyuk helped Taekwoon hobble over to the truck. It took him and Jaehwan together to get Taekwoon sitting comfortably on the back of the truck bed. He started to roll up Taekwoon’s jeans but before he could even get very far he swore. 

“Woonie… this is bad.” Sanghyuk ran his hand through his hair. He almost thought he could see it swelling before his eyes. “That looks really bad. We need to get you to medical. Now.”

“No.”

“Taek this looks bad. It’s not broken but it’s swelling pretty quickly,” Jaehwan shook his head, “It looks like it’s turning black. You can’t walk on this.”

“No.”

“Taekwoon,” Sanghyuk sighed, “this isn’t negotiable.”

“Like hell it is.” Taekwoon grumbled as he fought to get back on his feet.

“I’m taking you to medical and that’s final” Sanghyuk grabbed him around the waist and made him sit back down. Jaehwan backed away as he looked between the two of them.

“I need to do this and you can’t stop me.”

“I’m not letting you get even more hurt.”

“You lost the right to make that decision for me.”

“That’s not fair.”

Jaehwan’s phone rang. He just about ran away from the two of them to answer the phone. For a second Taekwoon felt a pang of guilt. Jaehwan wasn’t a part of this. He shouldn’t be dragged into a fight like this. It just made the rising anger he felt even more powerful.

“You leaving me hurt and alone with no idea where you were wasn’t fair either.” Taekwoon hissed. “Making Hongbin call me to tell me you were okay instead of just doing it yourself. That wasn’t fair.” Sanghyuk went quiet, and for a moment they both stood there, watching each other in silence. “Fuck, Sanghyuk, even my cat. Leo sits by the door and waits for you every single night. What the fuck Han Sanghyuk. That’s not fucking fair.” 

“I’m sorry, okay?” Sanghyuk took a deep shuddering breath, “I’m really sorry. I got scared. I hate seeing you hurt, and as sappy and gross as it sounds…” He swallowed hard and Taekwoon winced, “Knowing I’m the one that hurt you made it….” Sanghyuk trailed off, shaking his head aggressively, “I fucked up. I know I fucked up and you have every right to hate me.”

They fell into silence and Taekwoon was frozen. Sanghyuk still hadn’t looked up from where he was staring pointedly at the ground. Part of Taekwoon was waiting for the punchline, like Sanghyuk would just burst out laughing or give him that boyish smile. That didn’t happen though. For the first time in their relationship Sanghyuk was the one breaking down and Taekwon had no idea what to do. 

“I hoped,” Sanghyuk started quietly, “I don’t know. I thought maybe when we saw each other again you’d just?” He swallowed audibly and Taekwoon winced, “I thought maybe you would want me back. I thought we could go back or I could-” Sanghyuk wiped at his eyes aggressively as he kept going but when his shoulders started to shake Taekwoon had to do something.

He hit Sanghyuk lightly on the shoulder.

“You’re dumb.”

Sanghyuk froze.

“I miss you.” Taekwoon mumbled. He reached out hesitantly, unsure what exactly Sanghyuk needed. Sanghyuk took the lead and wrapped Taekwoon in a hug, resting one hand around his waist and one holding the back of his head. Taekwoon wrapped his arms around Sanghyuk took a long, deep, breath. He missed the way Sanghyuk smelled and felt and the familiar warmth did more to comfort him than anything else ever could. He resolved to ignore the wet spot forming on his shoulder from Sanghyuk’s tears. “Come home after this, okay?”

“Are you sure?” The hope in Sanghyuk’s voice made his heart ache.

“I’m sure.”

“Should I- um… I mean. Should I stop by Hongbin and Wonshik’s? To um- grab my things I mean?” Taekwoon grinned and nodded into Sanghyuk’s shoulder.

“Yeah. And bring treats for Leo, okay? You owe her.” Sanghyuk’s low chuckle was the greatest sound Taekwoon heard in weeks. Sanghyuk started to pull back and even though he didn’t want too Taekwoon let him go and politely looked away while Sanghyuk wiped at his eyes aggressively. 

“Guys! Guys it’s Hakeyon!” Jaehwan squawked as he thrust his phone into Taekwoon’s face, narrowly avoiding punching him in the face. “Taekwoon take it!”

“Hakyeon?” Taekwoon asked uncertainty as he held the phone to his ear. Sanghyuk whispered something to Jaehwan that he couldn’t quite make out.

“Taekwoon! Oh my god I’ve been trying to get a hold of you!” Hakyeon said cheerily, “I found your spinosaurus!” Taekwoon’s blood went cold. “I guess she wandered into my tank?”

“Hakeyon- what do you mean it wandered into the tank?” Taekwoon asked frantically.

“I showed up a couple of minutes ago to take care of my mosasaurus and she was just in the tank… is that bad?” Taekwoon swore.

“Is your mosasaurus okay? No aggression between the two of them?” He felt like the air had been punched out of his lungs.

“No… she tried it but my baby just snapped right back…. Taekwoon what’s going on? All I heard was that she was missing…” Hakyeon trailed off.

“You need to get out of there. It’s… aggressive.” Taekwoon fought to control his voice, “Don’t go near it. Don’t look at it. Just get out of there, okay?”

“No. Taek, I can’t just leave my baby in a tank with her. She’s a new animal and I don’t know how they’re going to interact. Especially if she’s aggressive.”

“Hakyeon, please, I need you to trust me.”

“...Is it really that bad?”

“Yeah.” Taekwoon felt Sanghyuk’s hand slip into his own “Yeah it’s pretty bad. Just…”

“I won’t leave, but I’ll stay out of her way, okay? As much as I can.” Hakyeon said solemnly. Taekwoon knew it was the best he would get.

“I’ll be there in five.” Sanghyuk squeezed their hands together as soon as Taekwoon handed the phone back to Jaehwan.

“Hey… Taek, I still think you need to go to medical.” Jaehwan eyed Taekwoon’s ankle warily. Sanghyuk nodded in agreement.

“We’ve been over this. The answer is no. And you-” Taekwoon jabbed a finger towards Sanghyuk, “are still on thin ice.” Sanghyuk sighed.

“Fucking- fine. Okay. But if something happens I need you to stay behind me and stay out of the line of fire. Okay?” He squeezed Taekwoon’s hand tighter.

“You are fucking whipped dude.” Jaehwan crossed his arms, “This is a bad idea. You know that, right?” Taekwoon sent him a glare, “I’m just saying! I guess I’ll help you get in the truck at least. C’mon.” Jaehwan hoisted Taekwoon onto his feet and leaned his weight against him. “Can you put any weight on it?”

“It’s fine.” Taekwoon bit back a gasp.

“Yeah, sure.” Jaehwan looked over his shoulder, “Don’t let him put any weight on it unless he has too! It hurts and it will only make it worse.”

“You’re not even in medical.” 

“Do you really think I work with as many of the babies as I do without learning how to deal with shit like this? You try taking care of a triceratops who’s still growing into her feet.” Jaehwan smirked as he hoisted Taekwoon into the passenger seat. “Alright. You’re buckled up and ready to go.” Sanghyuk loaded himself into the driver’s seat. “If he tries anything I’ll kick his ass okay?” He whispered conspiratorially. 

“Jaehwan, what would I even try?” Sanghyuk sighed.

“I don’t know! You could try to defile my Taekwoonie or something.”

“Jaehwan. You have to know I’ve already done that.”

“Sanghyuk! You did not put your grubby little paws on my baby!”

“I mean-”

“Guys!” Taekwoon hid his head in his hands. “We have to go.”

They both chuckled. Jaehwan slammed the truck’s door shut.

“Be safe you guys, okay? Come back to me in one piece. Sanghyuk and I still have to have a chat about this.” Jaehwan smirked as Sanghyuk started the truck up. As soon as they were out of range and on their way Taekwoon found himself fanning his cheeks. 

 

The drive was quiet. The sun was up high in the sky by then and bathed Taekwoon in warmth. Honestly he appreciated it. It was comforting. And he needed the time to decompress. Then again the longer he had to think the more… he let out a shaky breath. He almost died. Taekwoon literally almost died. It could have happened in just a second. It probably would have taken longer than a second actually… it would have been painful. He wouldn’t have been able to see his cat again. Or Sanghyuk. Or Jaehwan or Hakyeon or Wonshik or Hongbin. He would just be… gone. He could still feel it’s breath against his back. If he was being honest with himself he couldn’t quite remember what happened. He knew, but he didn’t really remember. He could still feel it though. Taekwoon hated it. He felt so attached and detached all at the same time. 

He was sitting in his truck with Sanghyuk. He was joking around with Sanghyuk and Jaehwan not five minutes before then. But part of him was missing. Like he was splintered in half. Even just thinking about it scared him. In the back of his mind Taekwoon couldn’t help but wonder why he was so shaken up to begin with. Or why he wasn’t even more shaken up.

“Taekwoon?” Sanghyuk’s hands were so warm against his own, “We’re here.” Taekwoon nodded rapidly as he tried to ground himself back down. “Are you okay?”

“Yes.” Taekwoon gasped out, “I’m okay.” He took a deep breath, “I’ll be okay.”

“Okay,” Sanghyuk gently cupped his cheek and offered up a sweet smile. “I’m here with you, okay? Whatever happens. Just stick close and I’ll keep you safe, promise.” Taekwoon would bet his life on that promise. Regardless of anything that had happened between the two of them. Sanghyuk swung around to the passenger side of the truck and gently helped Taekwoon onto his feet- he had to hold onto Taekwoon’s waist just to make sure he didn’t tip over. “Okay, where to first?”

“I guess through the employee door. He might be below deck.” Taekwoon said as he took in the massive coliseum. It loomed over them, blocking out the morning sunlight. From this angle the usually welcoming, bright exhibit looked… strange. The metal beams holding the stadium in place looked menacing and rusted, and the normally bright sign for the exhibit filled Taekwoon with a sense of foreboding. He shivered. 

The morning dew softened their steps as they made their way down the ramp leading to the underground part of the exhibit. Sanghyuk almost had to carry him but it was still so quiet. Taekwoon hated it. The only sound he heard, even when he strained, was the soft sound of water sloshing up against the side of the tank. It did nothing to calm the dread slowly building in the pit of his stomach. 

Sanghyuk slowly pulled the door open, holding Taekwoon close to his side as he did it. Once the door was open though he pushed Taekwoon behind him roughly. He had to grab onto Sanghyuk’s waist just to stay up right, and when he did he caught a glimpse of what was wrong. The spinosaurus. Sanghyuk cursed quietly. Hakyeon wasn’t there. It was there though. It’s eyes were blank as it swam closer to the glass, gaze set on Sanghyuk and Taekwoon. They were underground, so they could see almost the entire underwater exhibit. It was staring at them through a cracked part of the observation glass, eyes impassive as it watched. It blinked slowly. Taekwoon felt it’s eyes on him as he hobbled out from behind Sanghyuk. 

“We need to find Hakyeon,” Sanghyuk turned to glance up the ramp behind him, as if he thought Hakyeon would just appear before their eyes. The spinosaurus swam so close it’s nose was almost pressed to the glass.

“Don’t turn your back to the cage.” Taekwoon hissed. He felt Sanghyuk jump when he turned back around.

“We gotta get out of here.” This time Sanghyuk kept eyes on the spinosaurus the entire time he maneuvered Taekwoon and himself back outside. 

“I guess… he’s probably in the performance bowl?” Taekwoon offered as he tried to take a deep breath. It had been getting harder and harder to breathe all day. “He might be feeding his baby.”

“How is that mosasaurus Hakyeon’s baby? She’s so big. I don’t understand.” Sanghyuk muttered, probably in an attempt to lighten the mood. Maybe help Taekwoon calm down a bit. He wanted to play along but…

He was scared. Terrified. This animal was… different. That look in it’s eye- it was like there was nothing. All of the rest of his animals had something. A little glint in their eye. There was a mischievous baryonyx in his paddock at the moment- he could always see the laughter in her eyes whenever she played with the older animals. There was an older allosaurus with warm, kind eyes that had been with Taekwoon from the beginning. She always let the younger allosaurus eat first. Taekwoon snuck her extra snacks whenever he felt he could. But the spinosaurus was different. The dead look in it’s eyes was haunting. It was nothing like the rest of his animals. 

Taekwoon had worked with hundreds of carnivores over the years. He knew the reality of them. Carnivores were like all other animals, they follow the cycle of nature. They hunted. They caught their prey. Never like what the spinosaurus was doing though. It blew through those herbivores and never once did it take a bite out of them. Something was seriously wrong. From what they knew spinosaurus were not necessarily an aggressive species but… he was scared of this one. They had to fill in the genome more than they normally did. Finding any spinosaurus DNA was a miracle in and of itself. Sure, all of his animals were hybrids in their own ways, but this one was just… wrong.

As if sensing his fear Sanghyuk wrapped his arm tighter around Taekwoon. 

When they finally got up the ramp and to the top of the bowl Taekwoon let out a sigh of relief. Hakyeon stood near the edge of the pool, clipboard in one hand and what looked like a shark tooth in the other. He was maybe five feet away from a massive dead shark and something about the little smile on his face made Taekwoon’s stomach swoop. 

“Hakyeon!” Sanghyuk called out as he helped Taekwoon down towards the pool step by step. 

“Hey!” Hakyeon waved to them with a big smile. “I heard you’ve been missing someone.” 

“You could say that.. How’s your baby doing?” Sanghyuk chuckled.

“You’re holding him, so you tell me.” Hakyeon smirked.

“What is with you guys and calling me your baby?” Taekwoon groaned, “I am more than capable of taking care of myself.”

“Cause you’re cute.” They said in unison. He considered just flinging himself down the steps.

They were halfway down the bowl when he saw it. The other two were still talking while Taekwoon watched in horror as the spinosaurus crawled quietly out of the water. It was several feet away from Hakyeon, with it’s eyes locked on the shark. He almost saw the moment it noticed his friend and changed it’s path.

“Hakyeon! Run!” Taekwoon yelled as he tried to lurch himself forwards but Sanghyuk grabbed his wrist and pulled him back so fast that he was thrown into the cement steps. His back exploded in pain as he watched Hakyeon drop the clipboard and try desperately to run away from the spinosaurus, but it was no use. It charged around the shark, knocking it out of it’s way and away from the pool as it made for Hakyeon. Sanghyuk drew his gun and fired uselessly. He only had non-lethals and Taekwoon wasn’t sure that even the live ammunition would be enough to stop the spinosaurus. Taekwoon fought against the pain and tried to get to his feet but he couldn’t. His breath came in panicked gasps as he watched Hakyeon fall. There was water everywhere and Sanghyuk looked desperate as he ran down the steps towards their friend. The spinosaurus crouched down into a hunting position, but before it could take another step a huge splash crashed over the side of the pool.

Taekwoon stared in shock as Hakyeon’s mosasaurus flung itself out of the water and towards the spinosaurus. She clamped her huge jaws around the meat of it’s hind legs and pulled +it into the water in one fell swoop. Taekwoon’s vision started to go fuzzy and but he could still hear the spinosaurus over his laboured breathing. It whined loudly over the sounds of frantic splashing and eventually a strangled gurgling sound. The last thing he heard was a small, cut short whimper before the coliseum went silent.

Black spots started to float around Taekwoon’s vision and his ears were ringing too loudly for him to hear a thing. It felt like he couldn’t breathe- like every breath was harder than the last. Vaguely he thought that he should get up but he couldn’t even will his limbs to move. The same images replayed over and over in his head- the fear in Hakyeon’s eyes, the sheer panic on Sanghyuk’s face, and then the poor spinosaurus. It sounded so scared. The animal was terrified in the very end. Taekwoon was terrified. He still couldn’t breathe. The weight on his chest got heavier and heavier the harder he tried to get a breath in.

He didn’t even realize how badly he was shaking until he felt warm arms around him. Sanghyuk sat behind him, encasing Taekwoon in his arms, and reached around to press his hand to Taekwoon’s chest. Taekwoon hadn’t realized how cold he was either.

“Breathe with me Taekwoonie, you’re okay.” Sanghyuk said quietly in his ear, “I’ve got you, okay? You’re safe baby.”

“Is he okay?” Hakyeon asked from somewhere in the background “What’s happening to him?!” To Taekwoon it sounded like he was under water. The only reason he knew for sure Hakyeon said anything at all was Sanghyuk shushing him.

“You’re okay Taekwoonie, just try to follow my breathing, okay?” Taekwoon collapsed into Sanghyuk’s chest as he did everything he could to match their breathing. It felt like forever before he could finally breathe again, and once he did manage it he felt like his very bones were weighing him down. Taekwoon could barely keep his eyes open. “Good job baby, you did so good.” Sanghyuk squeezed him just a little and he couldn’t help but whine. “Alright, I’m taking you both to medical.” 

 

 

Taekwoon jolted awake in a small stark white room. The only things he could hear was a steady beeping coming from one of the machines beside him, and soft humming. When he looked around he spotted Hakyeon sitting on the floor next to the door. His phone was plugged into an outlet and it looked like he was watching some sort of show. Taekwoon chuckled and that was what made Hakyeon look up. His face split into a wide grin as he hauled himself to his feet.

“Finally! Oh god I’m so glad you’re awake.” Hakyeon groaned as he popped his back, “I already got through four episodes of Death Note and I really didn’t want to get through another.” 

“Why were you watching it if you hate it so much?” Taekwoon tried to laugh, but his voice came out scratchy and hoarse.

“Here, drink some water.”

“I don’t need it.” Taekwoon deadpanned, “I’m hooked up to an IV.” Hakyeon just laughed.

“Okay first of all, I don’t think that’s how that works, and second of all do I look like I give a shit?” That got a raspy laugh out of Taekwoon. Hakyeon looked pleased with himself before eventually they both settled down. “Hey… Taekwoon, we gotta talk.” 

“Okay.” Taekwoon clammed up immediately. He didn’t want to talk. He didn’t want to even think about the disaster he caused. Or the damage. Or how his friends almost died because of him.

“Woah, woah, calm down Taek,” Hakyeon delicately placed a hand over Taekwoon’s own, “It’s okay. I’m not the one to talk too about… this whole mess.” He said, as if he was reading Taekwoon’s mind. “Honestly, I’m mostly just offended that you didn’t say anything to me.”

“What about?” Taekwoon cocked his head to the side.

“I had no idea you have panic attacks. I had no idea you even had anxiety to begin with. I mean, I knew you were an anxious person, but still.” Taekwoon squirmed uncomfortably.

“It’s not exactly something I love talking about.”

“I get it Taek, I really do.” Hakyeon squeezed his hand, “But I’m your best friend. I’m honestly a little offended your boyfriend knew something about you that I didn’t. I mean  
I know you guys are serious-”

“Wait- boyfriend?” Taekwoon shook his head, “No. We’re not… not anymore!”

“Taekwoon. Really?” Hakyeon raised an eyebrow. “Stop lying to me. He already told me you were letting him come home.”

“W-well there’s still a lot to talk about between us.” Hakyeon smiled good naturedly and gently squeezed his hand. 

“Good. I still need to talk to him about some things. Jaehwan told me you let him put his grubby paws all over you without consulting me first! You’re unbelievable.”

“Hakyeon!” Taekwoon slapped his shoulder and they both dissolved into a fit of giggles. “We’ve been dating for years, what did you think we’ve been doing? You’re an asshole.” 

“But I’m your asshole!”

“That’s so gross!” Their laughter was cut short when there was a knock on the door. He and Hakyeon shared a nervous look. Taekwoon wasn’t ready. He wasn’t ready to be fired or screamed at or even just… it was weirdly easy to forget. Like everything that happened was so distant, maybe even a dream. He might have been in shock, he didn’t know. He didn’t have time to think about it before Hongbin poked his head into the room.

His body went cold.

“Hey, can I talk to Taekwoon alone?” He asked quietly and Taekwoon immediately latched onto Hakyeon’s hand. 

“Um… I think I better stay here.” Hakyeon mumbled. He cast a confused glance towards Taekwoon who stared down at his lap resolutely.

“I mean…Okay.” Hongbin sighed as he stepped fully into the room and closed the door behind him. There was a beat of silence. “Wonshik is okay. He’s fine honestly. Not great but… we’re lucky.”

“I’m sorry.” Taekwoon said quietly.

“It’s not your fault.” Hongbin almost whispered. Then silence. It was deafening. Taekwoon let his mind start to wander away. He wasn’t sure what else to do with himself. He thought of Sanghyuk, of him coming home. Seeing their cat for the first time in weeks. All of those herbivores were probably still left in the valley. Jaehwan would want to come over with wine to celebrate. He always wanted to celebrate everything. Most of the clean up crew was probably dead or injured. He thought he might be out of coffee at home. His hands were shaking.

“I really don’t blame you Taekwoon.” Hongbin’s voice broke through Taekwoon’s anxious, scattered thoughts. “I’m just… I don’t know. I’m scared. But I’m so glad you’re okay.” Hongbin wiped vigorously at his cheeks. “You’re okay. And so are the others. That’s what matters.” He took a deep, shaking breath, like he was trying to reorient himself. Taekwoon wasn’t expecting an apology. Or forgiveness. But he knew acceptance when he saw it. “Ah, anyways, did Hakyeon tell you what the higher ups are planning on doing?”

“No, I don’t even know myself.” Hakyeon said quietly. Hongbin wordlessly pulled up  
a chair next to Taekwoon’s bed.

“They’re ignoring it.”

“What?” Taekwoon squawked. He was grateful for the change of topic. Anything to get away from... that. “You can’t be serious.” 

“I am.” Hongbin nodded solemnly. “They’ve decided to close most of the exhibits today while they do some clean up. They’re planning on reopening them all by the end of the week.”

“They can’t do that- what the fuck?” Hakyeon’s eyes went wide and he squeezed Taekwoon’s hand more than was strictly comfortable.

“Yep. I don’t even know what they’re going to be able to leave open. The bamboo forests? The fucking golf course?” Hongbin shook his head, “It’s so fucked up, and they’re still planning to debut that other new dinosaur, that carnivore you were helping with.” Taekwoon’s face drained of all color.

“They can’t.” He whispered. Suddenly he felt a heavy weight in his chest, making it hard to breathe.

“They can.” Hongbin buried his head in his hands. “I don’t even know much about it but I know that’s a bad idea. Taek, I know you’re not really allowed to talk about it but I have to know… how bad is this?”

“Worse than the spinosaurus.” Taekwoon’s voice shook. “Infinitely worse. This one is… I don’t even know how to explain it.” He fought himself to take deep breaths, to stay calm. Silence fell over them. The only sound around them was the quietly beeping machinery Taekwoon was still hooked up too. Hakyeon wordlessly rubbed his thumb against the back of Taekwoon’s hand. It made it easier to reign himself in.

“Do you ever think we should quit? Maybe go work for a real zoo?” Hakyeon said with a halfhearted chuckle. 

“I mean, after today? It’s crossed my mind.” Hongbin said wryly. There was a quiet knock on the door before a head peeked in. Sanghyuk. Immediately the weight on Taekwoon’s chest started to lift. “You’re a little late to the party.”

“I see that.” Sanghyuk grinned lightly as he approached. “So did Hongbin tell you?”

“Yeah… is this really what’s happening?” Taekwoon asked.

“Yeah. It’s real.”

“Fuck.” Hakyeon let out a long breath. “So what do we do?”

“I don’t know. I don’t think we can do anything for now.” Sanghyuk rubbed awkwardly at his arm. “Right now though… I’m here to take Taekwoon home.” He lifted up the small duffle bag in his hands and turned to Hongbin “I already got my stuff from your place.” Taekwoon couldn’t help but smile at that.

“Yeah,” Hakyeon finally let go of Taekwoon’s hand, “I guess for now we just have to recuperate.”

“We don’t have another option, do we?” Hongbin bit at his nail.

“Not right now.” Taekwoon said quietly.

“I guess I’ll go check in with Jaehwan,” Hakyeon said as he pushed himself to his feet.

“I’ll go back to Wonshik.” Hongbin muttered. He started towards the door but stopped at the last moment. “Taek… let me know if you need anything, okay?” 

“And if this asshole puts his hands on you, I’ll come kick his ass.” Hakyeon grinned. 

“Hakyeon!”

“Bye guys!” He left the room with a wink and finally Taekwoon was alone with Sanghyuk.

“How are you holding up?” Sanghyuk asked nervously after a few beats of silence.

“I’m okay. I guess.” Taekwoon bit his lip, “What about you?”

“I’m…” Sanghyuk let out a long breath, “I don’t know. I’m excited to see Leo.”

“Yeah?” Taekwoon smiled.

“How much do you wanna bet he’s going to hate me?”

“Nope. I’m pretty sure he loves you more. He nipped me the other day when I went to feed him.” 

“Oh my god I love that cat. But… I don’t know.” Sanghyuk mumbled, “I’m more excited to be home with you.” He tentatively reached out a hand, like he was going to pet Taekwoon’s hair but he wasn’t sure. Taekwoon leaned into the touch and let out a sigh of contentment. 

“I missed you.

“I missed you too.” Sanghyuk smiled softly and for a moment he just ran his fingers through Taekwoon’s hair. They sat in comfortable silence for so long that Taekwoon felt himself start to fall asleep before eventually Sanghyuk cleared his throat. “Taekwoon? What are we going to do?” That made him fully open his eyes to face the younger.

“I… I have no idea. Honestly I… oh god this sounds so selfish.” Taekwoon paused to take a long breath. “I just want to get us back to normal. I want to get the island back to it’s feet. All of the animals… including the babies. I want our friends to get back to normal and… and us.” He bit at his lip, “I don’t know. It really feels like we’re just being let off the hook. So I just want us to get back to normal. To stabilize. Then we can do something.”

“That’s not selfish.” Sanghyuk’s hand wandered to cup Taekwoon’s cheek, “A lot happened today. A fuck ton honestly. We can deal with this first, then move forward.” Taekwoon couldn’t help but nuzzle into Sanghyuk’s warm hand. It was a long day, he reasoned. “Cute.” Sanghyuk chuckled.

“Do I have to stay here much longer?” Taekwoon asked.

“That’s actually why I’m here. You’re all set to go home. They said you had a mild concussion and just… I don’t know, general stress I guess.” Sanghyuk grinned, “Do you want me to go get a nurse?”

“Yes please.” Sanghyuk pressed a kiss into his hair before he ducked outside. Taekwoon let his entire body relax at that. He closed his eyes, and took one long, deep breath. Things were… bad. Terrible, maybe. But Sanghyuk was coming home. Hakyeon and Jaehwan were okay. Hongbin didn’t hate him. Wonshik was going to be okay. Everything else was shit. Or on fire. Literally. But… for the time being things were okay. He would just have to settle for that.

**Author's Note:**

> [ twt ](https://twitter.com/babysharkmp3)


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